The present invention relates generally to the field of digital rights management systems, and more particularly to a digital right management technique that allows for flexibility in the sustained or continued use of copies of digital content between updating or synchronization sessions with a content provider.
Many systems have been developed and are currently in use for exchanging digital content, such as movies, music, videos, and so forth. In general, software establishing such systems falls into a general category sometimes referred to as digital rights management (DRM) software. The software typically allows for access to various content for browsing, searching and eventual license or purchase. The systems are typically designed to operate in conjunction with a specific or a plurality of operating systems, and to support specific types of fixed or portable devices, such as personal computers, handheld computers, flash-memory based players, televisions, telephones, and similar devices. Increasingly, these devices may be networked to one another to allow for a certain degree of exchange of the content between authorized devices, as well as the streaming of content from one device to another.
Future developments in DRM technology will certainly permit a wide degree of exchanging between authorized devices, as well as a merging of the functions of computers, content players, televisions, telephones, and so forth. In general, DRM technologies are based upon specific coding and decoding schemes and implement particular business rules. The business rules commonly define such factors as whether a device or content is licensed, which devices may play certain content, where the content may be converted to other media, such as compact discs, the number of times the content can be played, and so forth. The business rules may also impose expiration dates for authorized play, and provide interactive functionality for stopping, starting, replaying, recording, and so forth. Ultimately, however, goals of DRM technologies must strike a balance between recuperating costs consistent with a business model for content providers, and offering a satisfying and relatively trouble-free experience for the user.
This balance has not always been met by existing DRM technologies. For example, certain existing technologies are extremely rigid in their treatment of allowed copies of content. For example, a limited number of copies is generally permitted, with additional limits being placed on the particular devices on which the copies can be stored and played. Moving or creating copies, then, requires immediate and a priori deleting or disabling copies on some devices to permit the new copies to be stored on other devices. Some DRM schemes may even require that the user obtain on-line licenses for such operations before they can be performed. The resulting situation is often confusing and frustrating for the user, detracting from the overall experience and enjoyment of the content itself.
There is a significant need in the field, therefore, for improvements in DRM technologies. In particular, there is a need for a technique that will allow for some degree of relatively flexible rules in the continued or sustained use of existing copies of digital content between updating or synchronization activities with the content provider.